24 Hours
by AuntJackie
Summary: John Cena has lost the love of his life, his fiance, Randy Orton in a horrible accident. What happens when a mysterious stranger offers him one more day to have with his love? How will he say goodbye a second time? SLASH, CENTON


**A/N: So, I was in the mood to write and this sad, one shot came out. I was working on my other story, "Love Story", and focusing on getting closer and closer to John's death there and decided to explore Randy's death in this one-shot. **

**Disclaimer: I own no person, character, storyline from WWE! **

_Randy sat on the edge of the bar, looking towards the entrance and repeatedly checking his cell phone. Every time he did so, his disappointed sighs grew more and more resigned. His patience, while never much to begin with, was running thin and his mood was going south; far south and that was never good. He checked his cell phone and even attempted to call, without success. This couldn't be happening to him. He was Randy fucking Orton. He didn't get stood up! Apparently, this John guy didn't get that message._

_"What's the matter, Ran?"_

_Randy looked up as his best friend slid onto the barstool next to him, smiling warmly._

_"Has the all mighty one been stood up?" asked John, his smile widening._

_Randy nodded. "I can't believe this,"_

_John smiled and reached over to squeeze his hand. "Have a drink with me, then. Let me cheer you up."_

_Randy stood and shook his head. "Thanks for the offer, Johnny, but I'm done. I'm going home. The embarrassment is exhausting."_

_John reached out and put his hand on Randy's shoulder. "Come on, Ran. Just one drink. It breaks my heart to see you so sad. I just want cheer you up, that's all. Besides, the guy that stood you up is a loser and a moron. Don't let him ruin your night."_

_Randy gave the man a small smile. "Fine, one drink."_

_John smiled happily and motioned the bartender over. _

* * *

John's POV

I woke up, sheets clinging to my body, my pillow wet with tears. I pressed my hands to my face and groaned. I had the dream again...the memory of the night Randy and I took the first steps to becoming so much more than best friends. The night I finally had the balls to ask him to stop going on blind dates and just date one man...namely me. That damn dream, once a cherished memory between us, now a nightly form of torture for me.

I sat up, tossed the sheets aside and staggered towards the bathroom. The warm water from the shower cascaded over me. I stood still under the spray, allowing it to cleanse me, wash away the cold sweat and tears that always came with that dream.

Randy... I never knew exactly what happened that night but in my dreams I saw a million horrible scenarios. All I know is that I wasn't with him and because of that I lost the love of my life. The police called it an accident and named him just a random victim of a madman who took two other lives before being caught.

Everyone constantly reassures me it wasn't my fault; my family, his family, our friends, my shrink, even strangers feel the need to tell me. What makes me think the outcome would have been different if I had been in that store? It didn't matter what anyone told me, though. I could have saved him. I could have stood in the way and taken that bullet. I hated myself for not being there as much as I hated the killer for choosing that jewelry store to go into. I figured the pain I went through on a daily basis was my version of hell and I would endure it.

Stepping out of the shower I grabbed a towel and started drying myself. I glanced towards the mirror and balked at my own reflection. Tired blue eyes stared sadly back at me from a gaunt face and my entire body seemed in a permanent slump. I was still in good physical shape, though, as I often went running. That was the only time when I could really let go and feel peaceful, even if for only one hour.

I was thirty-two when Randy and I started dating. He was 29. We had been friends for about 8 years already and had both lived a lot before we found each other. We had both married and he had a kid. Somewhere down the line both those other lives imploded and we realized we weren't meant to be with women. Years passed before we looked at each other in that way, though.

We had both noticed each other, of course. I know I noticed him from the first moment I saw him...and I never stopped. He was gorgeous in my eyes; tall, muscular, beautiful tan skin covered in tattoos he choose to represent himself, ice blue eyes, and beautiful lips that made me melt when they slowly curved into a smile or his ever present smirk.

After that night in the bar, we hit our stride right away in our relationship slowly. Despite his confidence in most matters, Randy was content to let me take the lead. He was still nervous about being in a relationship with me; it was hard for him to switch from just seeing me as John, the best friend to John, the boyfriend. For me, it wasn't that hard. I was dying to have him. I loved teasing him and drawing him out in an effort for him to get comfortable with me at a quicker pace. Getting in his space, whispering in his ear, letting my hand "accidentally" brush against parts of him; it all worked. I knew I liked Randy but I didn't expect to fall as hard as I did, as fast as I did. It took about a week for me to realize that I loved him and another couple of days for me to tell him. He said he loved me too, thank God, and after just a month we moved in together.

It was the happiest time of my life. We were amazing together. The sex was mind-blowing. We both had a tremendous appetite for each other and could go on for hours. We could talk or be quiet, go out or stay in - it didn't matter what we did, we were almost always perfectly content and happy. I say "almost" because, like with all couples, things weren't always perfect. We were both hardheaded, stubborn men and we usually fought over which one was right. But our problems were always quickly resolved, forgiveness always granted, and the makeup sex after was even that much greater. The bottom line for both of us was that we loved each other. No argument could supersede that.

We were together two years and then it happened. I asked him to marry me and he actually said yes. I was floored. The man of my dreams, the love of my life, had agreed to be mine forever. We agreed on a short engagement and only weeks later we were due to pick up our rings. We were to go to our favorite jewelry store in St. Louis Thursday afternoon before hitting the road back to work. When Thursday morning came, so did a phone call from work asking for yet another favor. Another favor I said yes to therefore leaving Randy alone to go pick up the rings on his own.

I can still remember getting the phone call from Randy's mother. She was hysterical, in tears and I could barely understand anything but the words Randy and shot. I immediately hopped on a plane back home. I clearly remember the moment I stepped into that hospital room, full of Randy's family. I could see it in their faces. I can see the doctor coming out of the room, covered in my fiancé's blood. Then he said the words; the words that made everything final. Randy had been one of 3 people shot, point blank, in his chest. He had died within minutes on that store floor. I felt no pain at the time. There were screams and weeping. Randy's parents hugged me but I kept thinking, "_It's not true. There's been some mistake. Not my Randy. It can't be true." _But it was.

* * *

The sky was gray and it looked like rain any minute. I didn't care. It should never be a sunny day when I come here. I passed row after row of headstone, the rose in my hand swinging in the wind. Finally, I saw the large headstone.

_"Randal K. Orton__  
__Beloved father, son, brother and friend.__  
__Forever loved."_

I smiled when I saw the fresh pink roses on Randy's grave. They were from Sam and Alanna. Randy's ex-wife and daughter always left something pink, Alanna's favorite color, on his grave when they visited. I sighed loudly, dropping down to sit beside the grave. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and began to pray, the mantra always the same in my head, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, baby."

There were sounds of footsteps approaching. I wiped away the tear that had trickled from the corner of my eye. As I looked up I saw a tiny, white-haired little old lady. When she saw me, she stopped and smiled. I frowned, wary of her intentions.

"Hello," she said.

"Hello." I managed to return her smile.

She glanced at the grave, and then at the rose I still held in my hand. "Someone you loved very much, I see," she said.

I nodded slowly, turning my eyes back to the headstone and trying to give the old woman the impression that I wanted to be alone. The old lady refused to take the bait and stood beside me. She placed a hand on my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. I sighed, relenting to let her say.

"I never got to say goodbye," I said. "I would give anything if I could just..."

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath to calm myself down.

"I know, John. I know."

I looked up in surprise. "How do you know my name?"

The old bird didn't look much like the typical WWE fan and the last thing I wanted was to be around a hysterical fan right now.

She smiled gently. "That doesn't matter, dear. What matters is we're giving you a gift."

"What are you talking about?" I was beginning to fear I had truly met the world's oldest and craziest fan. "What gift?" I asked.

"The gift of time," she said. "One day to be exact. Twenty-four hours, starting midnight tonight."

I frowned and she smiled.

"One day to say goodbye," she continued. "One day with Randy."

I quickly stiffened, feeling anger rising inside me like a storm. "Who the hell are you? What the hell are you trying to do to me? Don't you have any shame? Who put you up to this?"

I rose to my feet, staring down at her. "Seriously, what kind of sick joke is this?" I growled.

"This is no joke. One day," the woman said. "Twenty-four hours..."

She began walking away, but turned to look back at me, her lips curving in a strange smile. "...starting midnight tonight."

* * *

I woke up, the rain pounding against my windows by now. I was lying on my couch, the house was dark and the only light in the room was coming from the television across from me. I looked at my watch and saw it was 6:04 PM. I groaned as I stretched my limbs. I must have fallen asleep after returning home from the cemetery.

I swayed a little as I sat up, feeling dizzy. I turned off the television but walked around switching on lights, heading for the kitchen. I still didn't have any appetite, but I forced myself to eat anyway, mostly for my family's sake. As I picked at a piece of bread, I glanced at the kitchen clock.

"...midnight tonight."

Rubbing my forehead I made a mental note to call my shrink in the morning. I poured myself a cup of whiskey and started going through my DVD collection, looking for movies with a lot of action or comedy, something to keep me distracted. Watching movies worked... kind of. I started feeling more relaxed, and the booze definitely helped. But I kept checking the time...7:48... 8:32... 9:15... Why couldn't I stop doing that? The lady was obviously full of crap. No one could turn back time! No one could give me 24 minutes, nor 24 hours with Randy! Why was I fooling myself? I knew why. I had been promised the one thing I wanted more than anything but could never have, no matter who I was or how much money I had.

I desperately tried to focus on the movies. Midnight was fast approaching but I forced myself to ignore it. So I kept watching movies... and checking the time.

10:02 pm

Only two hours left.

10:59 pm

Not long now.

11:37 pm

This is fucking ridiculous!

11:59 pm

And... the clock struck 12:00 am. Pausing the movie, I stood up and listened. There was complete silence in my home. Actually, there was complete silence in the neighborhood.

I took a deep breath. "See? Just bullshit, John."

I laughed loudly and threw myself back down on the couch. I reached for the remote...and a voice broke the complete silence. A voice coming from upstairs. The voice that hadn't been there in months.

"John?"

I started shaking. I sat still, not daring to move but my body wouldn't stop shaking. I heard footsteps, one after another, coming slowly closer before stopping. I turned my head and I saw him.

Randy. My Randy. Smiling that smile that was always reserved just for me. He was even more beautiful than I remembered. Tears began to flow from my face. I got up and tried to run towards him, but my legs were shaking so badly that I fell to my knees. He came towards me quickly; his hand outstretched and touched my cheek.

"Johnny..." he whispered.

I threw my arms around his waist. I was sobbing by now, my face buried in his chest. His familiar smell filled my nostrils, and a thousand memories flashed through my brain. Randy's hands caressed the back of my neck, then my hair.

I looked up at him, his vision blurring from my tears. "Did I finally snap? Did I finally go crazy or is this a dream? If it's a dream, I don't want to wake up."

He smiled and slowly shook his head. "You're not crazy, baby, and you're not dreaming."

I held on to him as I rose to my feet. "Then, am I dead, too?" I asked.

He chuckled softly. "No, Johnny."

I cupped his face in my hands. "Are you really here?"

He threw his arms around my neck and pressed his lips against mine. As we kissed, I pulled his body hard against me. My tongue slipped into his mouth and found his and they twisted together until the necessity to breathe forced our lips apart. Panting, I leaned my forehead against Randy's. I put my hand on his cheek and he covered it with his, entwining our fingers.

"I'm here, baby," he whispered. "For one day at least."

"One day," I shook my head. "Then it was real? The woman?"

Randy nodded. "One day so let's not waste a single minute"

Holding on to my hand, he led me towards the bedroom. We did not make love. The emotions that our unexpected reunion had set off had exhausted us both. I was actually quite content with simply lying with Randy in my arms, feeling his skin against mine, smelling his scent.

"John?" he whispered, planting a soft kiss on my chest.

"Yes,"

"How long has it been? Since I died?"

I sighed deeply and held him closer. "Three months."

"Wow," Randy sighed. "I could have sworn it was longer. Time feels so different where I am."

Propping himself up on one elbow, he looked down at me with a smile. "I can hear you, you know. When you talk to me."

Smiling, I tried pulling him down for a kiss, but he stopped me by grabbing my hand.

"John," he said, his voice trembling. "It wasn't your fault."

"Randy..."

"No, listen! I hear you, so many times, asking me to forgive you, but there's nothing to forgive. You weren't the one who killed me. No one is to blame but him. I know you love me. I need you to stop punishing yourself. I love you so much, Johnny. I want you to be happy."

"I should have been there. I shouldn't have gone to work. I should have told Vince no." I said, fighting back a new flood of tears. "If I had been there, he wouldn't have been able to..."

"John."

Randy's voice was very firm as he rolled his eyes. "It wasn't your fault. If you would've been there, you would be dead too."

He kissed me gently, and then lay back down in my arms. "You must be tired, John," he murmured. "You should sleep."

"I don't want to sleep," I said, even though my eyelids were growing heavy. "I want to stay awake and look at you."

"Sleep, baby. We still have tomorrow."

John smiled, his eyes drifting shut. "I missed you," I whispered. "I missed you so much."

Then I closed my eyes and listened to the rain as sleep overpowered me.

* * *

Soft light from the window woke me up. Rubbing my eyes, I glanced at Randy's side of the bed. It was empty, but before I could wonder if it was another dream, Randy entered the room, a smile on his face. He was wearing a towel slung around his hips. When he saw I was awake, he crawled onto the bed and straddled my lap, leaning down to kiss me.

"Good morning," he grinned at me.

I wrapped my arms around him and inhaled the scent of his freshly showered body. "It's still so unbelievable," I whispered, sliding my hands up his smooth back. "You're really here."

Randy closed his eyes as my hands moved over his skin. I grabbed the towel and gave it a hard yank, pulling it off his hard body. I positioned myself on top of Randy between his legs and we simultaneously gasped at the sensation that was so familiar. He bucked up his hips, pushing his hardening member against mine. The touch made me groan, and Randy smirked but let out a groan of his own as I reached between our bodies and captured our shafts in my hand. I was stroking them together as I braced myself on my left arm, looking down at my love, writhing beneath me.

"I missed this," I groaned. "I missed you."

"Me too, baby." Randy moaned.

I stopped stroking us, and lowered myself to kiss Randy, slipping my tongue into his mouth, allowing it to mate with his. As his hands began to wander over my body, I removed my lips from his and pressed them against his throat, sucking, licking and nibbling on the skin. Slowly I moved further down; I traced his collarbone with my tongue and planted little kisses on his chest until I reached a pink nipple. Tweaking the other with my fingers, I teased it thoroughly, flicking it with the tip of my tongue, gently nibbling it before finally taking it in my mouth.

Randy moaned and his hands grasped my head. Switching to the other nipple I gave it the same treatment, and then abandoned them altogether, moving down over his abdomen towards Randy's cock, already achingly hard. I took it in my hand and kissed it, then slid my tongue over the head, swirling around it, and I traced the slit with the tip of my tongue. Licking down the shaft, I reached into the drawer of the nightstand and took out the lube I had there.

Squeezing some of the tube's contents onto my hand, I pressed a fingertip against his entrance, making him moan again as I caressed the sensitive skin. When I allowed my finger to push inside, I took him in my mouth. Randy gasped, one of his hands grabbing my shoulder. I pleasured him slowly, teasingly, as I used my fingers to stretch his tight opening. When I had three fingers inside him I let go of his cock and, slowly kissing my way up his body, I touched his sweet spot.

"John!"

Randy began writhing on the bed, fisting the sheets, and it was such an incredibly erotic sight that all the blood in my body seemed to have drawn itself to my throbbing erection. Withdrawing my fingers from his body, I lubed myself up. Randy spread his legs wider for me in silent welcome. I positioned myself at his entrance; pushing forward, I kissed him, both of us giving up muffled moans as I slid into his hot channel.

When I was all the way in I was still for a moment and looked into Randy's eyes, trying to let him see how deep my feelings ran, how much he meant to me. His hand reached up and gently caressed the side of my face, then pulled me down for another kiss. While our tongues rolled and slithered together in our mouths, I began to move my hips, pushing in and out of his body with long, slow strokes.

I released Randy's lips. As soon as I had done that, the usual symphony of moans, whimpers and other various, sexy noises started spilling from Randy's lips. These little noises of Randy's had always been a great turn on for me, and this time wasn't any different. Leaning on my elbows, I began to thrust faster as I kissed the nape of his neck, letting my teeth lightly graze the skin.

"John, God, baby, you feel so good."

Randy's legs wrapped around my waist and insistently pulled me in. I took the hint and thrust hard, pounding into his body. Staring into his eyes, my panting mouth began giving off moans that mingled with Randy's cries, forming a duet of our passion. Fire was building inside me. I was close to the edge, and I could tell that Randy was too, even though I hadn't touched his cock. Sweat broke out on our bodies as I relentlessly pumped my hips and Randy's hips just as persistently pushed up to meet me.

"Johnny, I'm gonna cum!"

Randy cried out louder and his body began to violently shake as he climaxed, his semen spurting onto our chests and his fingers digging hard into my back. The erotic pain caused by his nails and his channel spasming around my cock made me cum with him, harder than I ever had in my entire life, roaring as I emptied my release into his body.

Breathing hard, my whole body trembling, I used the last of my strength to roll us over, placing Randy on my chest. Randy was breathing hard and his warm breath felt like a soft caress on my skin. I nuzzled into his hair, and he weakly lifted his head to give me a wet kiss. Then we just lay still for a while, lazily kissing and caressing until our bodies had recovered enough for us to go and shower. In the shower we held each other, washing each other's bodies, kissing as the warm water cascaded over us.

* * *

After a quick wash, we fixed ourselves breakfast and thoroughly stuffed our faces. When we were done, I asked Randy how to make the most of our last few hours together.

"Is there anything you want to do? Anything you regret not doing while..."

My voice trailed off and I looked down.

"While I was alive?" Randy asked softly. "I know I'm dead, John. You can say the words."

He laughed and shook his head. "I would like to see Al from afar but besides that, no, I'm happy with what I did with my life. I had great friends, a great family, and I found great love. I'd say that's a pretty terrific life."

"Oh, baby" I said. "Sam took Alanna to Rome for a couple of weeks. She wanted her to see Italy and just distract her before preschool starts."

Randy smiled sadly. "Oh. It's OK. I see her all the time anyway and I hear her. I just wanted to see her up close again."

I sighed loudly at the disappointment in his face. "Ran, I would give anything for you to be here with us everyday. She misses you so much. I would gladly trade places..."

Randy immediately grasped my hand, squeezing tightly. "Do not finish that sentence," he whispered. "Don't even fucking think about it, John."

"I want to be with you. I want us together." My eyes filled with tears once again.

"I'm here now," He pointed out.

"For one day! That's all I get? One day is not enough! Nothing less than the lifetime we were supposed to have together is enough." I said, my voice thick, my emotions making me sound erratic.

Randy tightened his grip on me. "I would stay if I could, baby. But I don't have any choice."

I nodded, and pulled him close to me.

I led Randy to the couch and held him close as we lay down, hoping it was enough for comfort. I didn't know what to say, so I began talking about our family, describing what had happened in the past 3 months in as much detail as I could. While I talked I stole glances at his face and was relieved to see he was smiling. When there was nothing left to say about his parents, our parents, our daughter, our friends and anything else I could think of, Randy began asking about our job. I couldn't give him many details about what was happening in the WWE since I had left after Randy's death. I had been to consumed with grief to care about anything else and my love for what I once enjoyed more than anything disappeared. Randy looked at me with that disappointed look that always broke me. I promised him I would reconnect with our coworkers and keep the option of returning open.

When dinnertime rolled around we prepared a simple meal. We sat close to each other, feeding each other little bits of food while daylight faded away.

After dinner, I cleaned up as Randy focused his attention on the large wall unit holding the many pictures we had taken over our years together. He sauntered into the kitchen just as I finished loading the dishwasher.

"And you call me anal," he said, grinning. "You couldn't let the dishes sit for one night?"

"You were distracted with the pictures," I said, pointing at them as my cheeks reddened.

"Sure, Cena," Randy smirked. "I believe you are secretly more anal and OCD than I was."

I groaned loudly and covered my face with my hands. "God, no! Why would you do this to me? Turn me into a lunatic that needs cleanliness everywhere!"

Randy watched me, his lips quirking before finally collapsing into a laugh. I soon followed, laughing like I hadn't since before Randy died.

When we were able to stop laughing, we walked into the living room, hand in hand. We sat on the sofa and held each other closely. Time was running out, and midnight was coming ever closer. There was still something I wanted to do.

In the three months that had passed since Randy died, there was one thing that kept coming back to me when I thought about our relationship, one thing I seriously regretted that we never did. But here was my chance to change that. Softly, I pressed my lips against Randy's neck. He sighed expectantly and tilted his head for me. With feather light kisses I moved up his neck to the ear, letting my tongue slip out and slide over his earlobe, making him shiver slightly. I slipped my hands down to his butt, my palms slowly and lightly gliding over the rounded flesh before taking them in a firm grip.

Randy made a pleasured noise and, grabbing my shoulders, he pressed himself harder against me, letting me feel his growing erection. He began to breathe faster as I squeezed his ass even harder. I stepped back and started slipping off pieces of my clothing. Randy watched me lustfully, licking his lips.

I took him back in my arms, kissing him. Softly at first, then the kiss became harder and wetter; when I heard Randy moan, I put my hand on top of his crotch and rubbed. He gasped, pushing into the touch, but I removed my hand. I had taken off my T-shirt and pants, and was now only wearing black boxer briefs. I hooked my thumbs in them and swiftly pulled them down, letting my erection spring free.

Walking towards the bedroom, I beckoned Randy to follow me. When there, I started removing the clothes on his body until he was as naked as I was. I kissed him, then lay down on the bed and held out my hand to him.

"I'm all yours, gorgeous."

He came to me, lying down on the bed. I pulled him on top of me; grabbing his head I gave him a kiss that was firm, wet and soft all at once. Randy melted into the kiss with me, letting his tongue battle with mine as he moved his body against me. I grabbed the lube from the nightstand. Taking his hand I kissed it, and then poured some lube on his fingers. Smiling, he put his hand around my manhood, but I stopped him by gently grabbing his wrist.

"Not there," I whispered. Then I spread my legs a little more and moved his hand down past my balls to my opening. Randy's eyes widened and he frowned. "John, what are you doing?"

"We've never done this," I said. "But we will tonight."

I looked into his blue eyes, so warm and so beautiful. "I want you."

He swallowed. "Are you doing this because you want to, John, or because you think you owe me something because there was never anything missing for me in our sex life. It was perfect and I enjoyed every moment, babe."

"So did I, baby but I want to do this. We were gonna spend the rest of our lives together. This was bound to happen. It didn't work out that way but now that we have this chance, I want you to do it. I want to do it. If we don't, I'll always regret it."

Randy smiled nervously. "I don't want to disappoint you."

I chuckled. "You never could." I pulled his head down for a kiss.

Short kisses increased in heat and passion until we were practically devouring each other. As we kissed Randy began ever so slowly to move his fingers against my hole, and I couldn't keep myself from moaning into the kiss. When Randy moved away from my lips and began nibbling at my ear, he allowed a finger to slowly slip inside. As his lips and tongue moved over all the spots on my neck that he knew I loved, he loosened me up, working inside two more fingers. When I was ready, I took some lube on my own hand and coated his member with it, making him gasp. Then I guided him inside me.

It felt so wonderful. I was not aware of any pain or even discomfort, just a sense of perfect bliss as he slowly glided inside my body. I can't even describe how beautiful he was to me in that moment. I wrapped my legs around his waist and drew him in. We were both completely still for a moment, and then we began to move. I don't know how long it lasted, maybe not more than a few minutes, but it felt like hours. He moved slowly at first, but when I whispered to him not to hold back, he began thrusting harder and faster, our fingers entwining and our foreheads gently pressed against each other. I was moaning loudly every time he pushed into me, and when he slipped a hand in between our bodies, I began spurting the instant he touched my cock. He came with me, those sweet little whimpers I love spilling from his mouth as I felt his semen in me. It was one of the most beautiful moments of my life.

We made love once more after that, me inside him again. We moved slowly, savoring each other. Afterwards we held each other, looking into each other's eyes. Midnight was fast approaching. I wanted to scream with frustration, but I kept quiet, stroking Randy's back and holding my tears at bay.

"Did you know," Randy whispered, "that you are the only person I've ever been in love with? Have I ever told you that?"

I weakly shook my head. He smiled. "It's true. My feelings for Sam were a different kind of love but with you, I was blown away. Day after day I fell harder. After our first night together... when I woke up next to you... I just watched you sleep. I knew. I felt it."

My hand tightened around his.

"I've loved you more and more, every day since. I couldn't have asked for anything better. You have been the most wonderful part of my life. Without your love and support, I couldn't be the father I was to Alanna for the short time I had her. She and you were my world and you have to take care of her forever now. You are her father."

Despite my best efforts, my tears escaped and began making their way down the side of my nose.

"It's the same for me," I told him. "I love you so much, with all my heart. Ally is my little girl just as much as yours, baby. I love her."

I glanced at the alarm clock next to my bed. Five minutes to midnight. I pulled Randy closer, thinking that maybe if I held on to him, they wouldn't take him from me. I kissed him, telling him over and over how much I loved him. And then I felt the change in him, a sense of lightness, and I knew it was time. It was midnight, and he was slipping away.

"No! Please, God, wait!" I cried. "Not yet! Just a little longer!"

"It's okay, baby." Randy touched the side of my face. "We will see each other again, some day. I will always be looking down on you. Be happy, Johnny. Find love again."

He began to look diffused, almost see-through. I closed my eyes as the tears flowed freely now and when I opened my eyes... he was gone. His side of the bed was cold, as if he'd never been there. Covering my face with my hands, I curled up in a ball and wept through the night.

* * *

The days after that one day were incredibly hard. At times I would get a strong urge to end it all and follow Randy, but I didn't. I couldn't let him down like that. He had left me the most cherished thing; our daughter. I had two people to live for: myself and Alanna.

It was still hard but I started picking up the pieces of my life. I dedicated myself to my daughter and getting in touch with parts of the life I left behind. I got in touch with old friends, visited WWE coworkers, spent time with our families.

It's been 4 years since that day. I still haven't been with anyone else on a long term basis. Just the fact that I have started dating is a miracle in itself so I am fine with taking it slow. I know Randy wanted me to find love but it's gonna take some time. If I should happen to meet someone I like I might take that step, but for now, I'm happy enough. My heart still aches for the love of my life, but thanks to that precious gift I was given, I now carry no regrets, no guilt. I take one day at a time, knowing that when I leave this world for the next, we will be together again.

**A/N: So, kinda sad but I still like this one-shot. Don't forget to vote on the poll on my page. REVIEW, please! Thanks, guys!**


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